As the group of five make their way by maglev tram down into the core of Mechis III, Django sets up a plan for when they arrive.

Django listens and nods. "While the techies figure out if an' how y'all are gonna get this core up an' running, I and one other, y'all pick, are gonna poke around a bit to see if we can figure out whether or not foul play was involved. I know the place is old as dirt, but it still feels awful strange to me that an all seein' AI can lose a grip on its central areas. We also need t' be keepin' an eye out, and I mean all of us, for any sort'a defunct security droid team or somethin' along those lines. Once we secure our area a' operation, we'll see what we can do about settin' thangs up - if possible - to avoid any future shut downs... with a twist. Ronan, you got any way to rig up a kill switch to undo the work yer gonna be performin'? If this core's AI tries to spaz out on us, I wanna be good an' sure we can be more of a problem for it that it can be fer us".

"Can do, boss.  Got three ways to make it work.  Can discuss whenever you're ready."  Right after he finishes speaking there is a soft bump and Ronan lets out an epithet of the tram system.  "No worries.  Under control.  Just a hiccup."  His cheerful tone is contradicted by the long pause before he says, "I hope."

"I'll go with you. We'll need Irin and Inarra to cover systems ops while everything starts coming online to make sure everything is in order."

Inarra nods.  "I can work the planetary net while Ronan handles the hardware. I can probably work through any security issues that come up."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:02, Mon 19 June 2017.

"I think that's a good plan.  I'll handle communications and see what information on the history of this place might be useful."

There is another bump, this time a little bit harder.  "Might want to take a seat back there.  I'm going to have to slow things down.  If something happens, we don't want to turn into bloody smears on the rail-tunnel walls."

Irin tightens her buckles and grabs onto a bar nearby.  There is obvious fear in her eyes.

Inarra folds her hands together, closes her eyes, and relaxes.

Tump whistles quietly to himself and looks out the window.

Django calmly take his seat, strapping himself in.

The ride continues to get worse with the rail system shutting off for fractions of a second now and again.  The innumerable times the dropping sensation hits the group starts to have its effect.  Irin is the first to succumb and vomits all over the floor.

[Unless other action is taken at this point, roll Fort DC 15 to not vomit from the motion.]

Tump sits there, stoically, as the transport bumps along the rail. He attempts to comfort Irin, but he is too tightly strapped in to reach her.


12:21, Today: Tump rolled 20 using 1d20+1.  Fort save.

Django is unfazed by the dropping sensation and continues to hang on.

11:56, Today: Django Blint rolled 20 using 1d20+4.  Fort roll to resist hurling

Ten minutes before the transport is supposed to, it stutters, drops, picks back up, then slows and gently settles to the ground.  Ronan walks back from the control cabin.  "We walk the rest of the way.  If I try to continue, the tram could be damaged and then we'd not have a way back to the surface.  It's a three hour walk from here to the end of the rail, then we have to get through whatever architecture is there to the power core.  Outside is going to be hot as we are kilometers into the mantle.  However, the transport tube will protect us.  My readings show it to be about 50 metric degrees outside."

He turns to Django, "Captain, we have plenty of power to try to get back to the surface, but it will take days for us to recharge the generators for another trip.  I'll leave it to you to decide what we do now.  I'm game for continuing on, though."

The women echo the engineer's sentiment.

Django thinks for only a second. "We came down here to fix a problem. Seems like if we leave an' try to come back we'll jes have the same personal issues all over again. Proceed forward, Mister Blundershaw".

Ronan grabs the two remaining generators and straps them on his back without complaint or request for assistance.  He ensures that everyone has all the gear they need and are ready to go before he opens the door.  A wave of almost debilitating heat strikes the group.  It takes a minute or so for everyone to adjust to the intense heat.  Everyone is sweating before they step from the tram.

The journey is grueling, but otherwise uneventful for the first hour.  The going is slow and it is completely dark save for the microfusion lamps used to light the huge mag-lev tunnel.  Engineers of the place saw no need to do more than the minimal insulating as they calculated any humanoids would either spend little time in the tunnel or be in protective gear.

The most disconcerting fact of the journey is the realization that the tube is straight down toward the center of the planet and that the group should be in complete free-fall.  Instead, gravity seems to be below the feet with only a slight tug forward so that the whole walk feels down-hill.

At the end of the hour, the group can see the power station down at the end of the tunnel.  It could be reached in ten minutes save for the gaping hole in the tunnel where it looks like it pulled apart.  Even more troublesome is that outside of the tunnel, there is a pool of lava, not below the gap, but in what looks like the far wall on the outside to the left.  The wall of lava is about ten meters beyond the lip of the tunnel, but the orientation of whatever serves for artificial gravity in the tunnel is playing all kinds of havoc with senses due to the natural gravity affecting the lava on the outside of the tunnel.

The gap itself is about 50 m across.

"Well this is a pickle... Tump, how much juice you got left in your boots?"

Tump scratches his head only to find his hair drenched in sweat. Shaking his hand clean, he replies "Should be fully charged. Haven't used 'em since the basement."

He takes a quick look at the power meter and shrugs. "Upper 90's. Between you and me, we ought to be able to taxi folks across, but I don't know how much drain those generators will put on the system."

"I'd imagine quite a bit. Only one way t' find out though. Aight, who's first? he says, looking at the group.

"I-I should go.  Inarra and Ronan are more critical to the m-mission."  Her teeth are chattering at the prospect of the leap.  She keeps looking back at the lava.

Enough of it circles the tube on the far side to be below the tunnel where the group intends to land.  If anyone misses, they will fall out of the tunnel and be facing the lava head on.  With the crazy gravity, this will likely arc them parabolically so that they actually fall into the lava itself.